PoliticsThe White House Launches Trump TV After President Bans CNN and More Outlets From the White House
Trump TV debuted on the night of Monday, September 21.
Sept. 22 2026, Published 10:05 a.m. ET
The White House has officially launched "Trump TV," a 24/7 digital streaming platform on YouTube, following President Donald Trump's decision to ban multiple independent news outlets from the White House.
The three banned outlets — CNN, Politico, and MS NOW — filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration on First Amendment grounds, challenging the restrictions on independent journalism.
The POTUS had abruptly revoked the White House press credentials of reporters from the aforementioned outlets, accusing them of spreading "fake news.”
Inside the Press Ban
The White House launched Trump TV after the president banned several outlets.
When CNN was scheduled to handle the pool camera duties on Monday, the administration blocked them.
The move triggered a swift backlash and a historic show of solidarity from the White House television pool, as ABC, CBS, NBC, and even the Trump-loyal Fox News refused to step in or provide replacement crews.
ABC, NBC, Fox News and more outlets decided not to cover the White House to stand in solidarity with the banned brands.
The networks released a rare joint statement asserting that "no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”
As a result of the boycott, several of the president's Monday events — including the unveiling of a new White House helipad — were left without standard television pool coverage, resulting in broadcasts with missing or inaudible sound.
Trump defended the restrictions on Truth Social, writing that the White House is "not instituting an assault on the Free Press... It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS."
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What Is Trump TV?
The POTUS said the White House is 'not instituting an assault on the Free Press... It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS.'
Promoted on the White House YouTube Channel as "Trump TV: The Essentials Station," the 24/7 stream features a continuous loop of major remarks, top videos and highlights from the administration.
The stream launched with mostly historical footage, including Trump's 2025 inauguration and his 2020 Mount Rushmore address. The administration hasn’t detailed how much live, real-time event coverage the channel will feature.
The White House teased the launch with various clips, including an AI-generated video of a satellite truck entering the White House gates and a promo featuring pop-culture clips set to the song "Video Killed the Radio Star,” the first video played when MTV launched on August 1, 1981.
'Autocratic Behavior'
Gavin Newsom slammed Trump TV as 'truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.'
"Trump TV" peaked at roughly 8,000 live concurrent viewers when it officially launched on the White House YouTube channel on Monday at 7:00 PM ET.
Ninety minutes later, the live viewership dropped below 4,000 concurrent viewers, and by 9 PM, the continuous stream fell further, attracting only about 3,000 concurrent viewers.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom torched the platform, saying, "First, Trump banned independent news from the White House. Now, he's launching what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people. This is truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.”
